Beyond the 806
Data center boom enters Texas governor’s race as Meta builds $14B El Paso campus - KFOX
Meta's $14 billion data center campus under construction in El Paso has pushed the broader Texas data center boom into the state's governor's race, with candidates now debating power grid strain, water demand, and local impacts from coast to border. Gov.
Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered a pause on new data center approvals across Texas while state regulators review the situation. Both ERCOT and the Public Utilities Commission are conducting audits to determine how these facilities affect the power grid and other resources before any new projects get the green light.
For people here in Lubbock, this is not an abstract debate. West Texas sits on the same stressed grid that powers Tech Terrace, the South Plains Mall, and every home from the canyon rim to the city limits. Large-scale data centers draw enormous amounts of electricity and water, and any strain on ERCOT supply hits this region the same as anywhere else in the state.
The governor's race angle means this issue is now attached to a statewide political campaign, which raises the stakes for how quickly or slowly any resolution comes. Candidates staking out positions now will be held to them if they end up running the state during what could be years of continued construction and expansion.
Meta's El Paso project alone carries a price tag bigger than most countries' infrastructure budgets for a single year.
Common questions
Why did Governor Abbott pause new data center approvals in Texas?
- Abbott ordered a pause on new data center approvals while ERCOT and the Public Utilities Commission audit how these large facilities affect the Texas power grid. The review must be completed before any new projects can move forward across the state.
How does the Texas data center boom affect Lubbock residents?
- Lubbock and West Texas run on the same stressed grid that large data centers draw from heavily. That means new facilities approved statewide could affect power reliability for homes and businesses here, from Tech Terrace to the South Plains.
What is Meta building in El Paso and how big is it?
- Meta is constructing a $14 billion data center campus in El Paso. The scale of that project helped push data center power and water demands into the current Texas governor's race as candidates debate the statewide impact of the broader building boom.
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